Roy Hodgson’ parents were a bus driver, his dad, and a baker in town, his mom, and he received his education at the “John Ruskin Grammar School”. He started playing soccer in the school’s team, while he was also in the Crystal Palace youth team. He was a good player, who use to play as a defender, but he never reached excellence levels as a player. He played in the 1965/66 season for the Crystal Palace, in the 1966/69 seasons for the Tonbridge, and in 1969/71 for the Gravesend & Northfleet, when he also completed the training to become a fully qualified coach. He kept playing in 1971/72 for the Maidstone United, while also working as a P.E. teacher at Alleyn’s School, in 1972/73 for the Ashford Town (Kent), in 1973/74 for the Berea Park, a South African team, and he closed his career as a soccer player in the seasons 1974/76 when he played for the Carshalton Athletic, while he worked as a teacher at the Monks Hill Comprehensive.

In his managing career, Hodgson has managed twenty-one different teams in eight different countries. His managing career started in Sweden in the 1976 season when he managed the Halmstad BK. He spent five years in this club, winning the league championship in 1976 and 1979. The victories achieved with this club were a true surprise, in fact, before his arrival, the club used to struggle to remain in the major league. In the seasons 1980/82 he’s been an assistant coach at the Bristol City, but he was dismissed due to financial problems of the club. In 1982/83 he’s been back to Sweden where he managed the Oddevold, but, unfortunately, the club couldn’t avoid the relegation in a lower league. He moved to the Orebro in 1983/84, where he achieved a promotion to the Allswenskan. In the season 1985(86, and until the season 1988/89, Hodgson managed the Malmö, an important Sweden team. Under his guidance, they achieved five straight league championships, two Swedish championships, and two Swedish Cups. He didn’t achieve important results in the European Cups, but he kept being held in high regard from the supporters of the club even after he departed. In the season 1990/91, and in 91/92, Hodgson managed the Neuchâtel Xamax in Switzerland. The club finished 3rd in the first year, and 5th in the second year of his management. In the seasons 1992/93, 93/94, and 94/95, he guided the Switzerland National Team till the last 16 of World Cup in 1994.

He also guided the team for the qualification for Euro 1996. In the seasons 1995/1997, Hodgson guided the Inter Milan. He reached, and lost, the UEFA CUP final in 1996/97, but the supporters biggest regret is that the Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos left the team because of him. In 1997/98 Hodgson guided the Blackburn Rovers, and the club finished sixth. In 1999 Hodgson came back to Inter Milan for a short period as a caretaker, and he then managed the Grasshoppers in the season 1999/2000, finishing in the fourth place.